West Coast rail passengers warned of disruption until end of day
London Northwestern Railway passengers are able to travel on Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry trains between any reasonable route. National Rail added that it had requested for rail replacement buses to operate between Rugby and Stafford, however the service was yet to start.
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Telegraph
27 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The best place to picnic in every major UK city (including London)
July marks National Picnic Month. Eating alfresco in the UK gets a bad rap – the sad legacy of childhood outings spent battling sideways rain while eating soggy sausage rolls. But British summers deliver more than they get credit for. There are genuinely glorious blue-sky-and-sandal days when the weather hits that sweet spot, and it's warm enough to sit out without the coleslaw curdling. When the sun shows up (and, as we've already seen this summer, it certainly does), Britain goes feral – in the best way. Everyone floods to the nearest patch of green like it's a state of emergency. Supermarkets are stripped of hummus, corks pop in parks and someone always forgets the bottle opener. It's cheerful, unpretentious and deeply British: from the Scotch eggs to the slightly warm rosé. From wildflower meadows in Oxford, to highland cows in Glasgow and open-air theatre in Leeds, we've rounded up the 20 best spots to sprawl, snack and balance a paper plate on your lap. Because in the UK, a picnic isn't just lunch outdoors – it's a summer pastime powered by optimism and pork pies. London Best picnic spot: Primrose Hill Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath get all the hype, but Primrose Hill quietly wins where picnics are concerned. At 63 metres high, this sloping swathe of grass delivers London's best skyline view, from the Shard to St Paul's. It even starred in the Paddington films. Sun hits it all day, and late afternoon casts the city in shades of gold. The vibe is social but never loud, and you'll be picnicking alongside guitar strummers, dog walkers, page-turners and lovestruck couples. Head to Melrose and Morgan for homemade lemonade and picnic boxes worth the hill climb. Where to stay Mason & Fifth Primrose Hill is a boutique guesthouse inside a restored heritage home with private garden, yoga pavilion and studios from £150. Birmingham Best picnic spot: Cannon Hill Park With more canals than Venice, expectations of an industrial Birmingham are outdated. One of its greenest spots is Cannon Hill Park, a mix of 80 acres of formal gardens and 120 acres of wild woodland woven with jogger and cyclist trails. Families can rent swan pedal boats, try their hand at the Golden Putter mini golf course, or see the famous red pandas at the adjoining Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park. Delicatessens are in short supply in the surrounding area, so before leaving the city centre seek out Anderson & Hill for doorstop sandwiches and a heavenly stink of cheeses. Where to stay Domo Boutique Hotel has designer themed suites from £220. Leeds Best picnic spot: Kirkstall Abbey Leeds is one of the UK's greenest cities, with 55 woodlands forming the 'Forest of Leeds', which includes picnic hotspots Temple Newsam and Middleton Park. Our pick is the 58-acre public park set around the dramatic 12th-century ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, famously captured by painter William Turner. The park sits beside the River Aire (perfect for cooling your ankles on a hot day) and includes tennis courts, a playground, and – in summer – an outdoor cinema and open-air Shakespeare performances. For a quick recharge, there's a café serving coffee and ice cream. Where to stay Outwood House is an 18 th -century stone mansion set in mature gardens with en-suite rooms from £153. Glasgow Best picnic spot: Pollok Country Park Find Highland cows 20 minutes south of Glasgow city centre at Pollok Country Park. This green lung comprises 360 acres of woodlands, riverside paths with benches, and wide-open lawns perfect for a spread of sandwiches and a thermos of tea. If you didn't bring your own, nearby Gusto & Relish (729-731 Pollokshaws Rd) sells baked goods and proper coffee. Don't forget to poke your head into Pollok House, home to the private art collection of Sir William Burrell and his wife Constance – it's considered one of the world's best. Where to stay Sherbrooke Castle is a red sandstone baronial home with luxury double rooms from £110. Manchester Best picnic spot: Mayfield Park Set around the meandering River Medlock, Mayfield is Manchester's newest park – and the first created in over a century. Just a few minutes' walk from Piccadilly station, it's best for families thanks to an industrial-themed play park with six slides for kids at the far end, baby-changing facilities and water refill stations. Smoking is also banned. For nosh, make a detour toward Chinatown and find Fat Pat's, a tiny take-out window dispensing hefty sub sandwiches such as philly cheesesteaks and shrimp po'boys. Where to stay Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly has a spa, steakhouse and rooms from £87. Sheffield Best picnic spot: Rivelin Valley Just 15 minutes northwest of Sheffield, Rivelin Valley is a wild, green gateway to the Peak District, where moorland meets woodland and rocky crags rise above a twisting riverside trail. Wander past ancient trees, waterfalls and moss-covered mill ruins, or sprawl out by splash pools and quiet meadows off Hagg Lane. Kingfishers and herons are common, and on weekends treks with alpacas and llamas can be booked at Holly Hagg Community Farm. Where to stay The Florentine offers doubles from £58. Bradford Best picnic spot: Peel Park Tucked just inside Bradford's ring road, Peel Park combines rolling lawns with a tranquil lake edged with grand Victorian flowerbeds. Little ones can follow the Totem and Play Trail, while teens can tear around the BMX track – with the Bradford Bandits offering practice sessions every Tuesday and Thursday night. There's also tennis, croquet and boules, and for snacks Peelers Café – run by local volunteers – serves up homemade cakes and hot drinks, with every penny going straight back into the park. Where to stay The Midland Hotel has yesteryear opulence a 20-minute walk from the park and doubles from £55. Edinburgh Best picnic spot: Princes Street Gardens Princes Street Gardens are to Edinburgh what Central Park is to New York – it's green heart right in the middle of the city. Created in the 1820s by draining the Loch Nor marsh, this sunken valley now links the medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town with neatly trimmed lawns and postcard views of the Castle. Split by The Mound, the eastern half is dotted with statues – don't miss author Sir Walter Scott's soaring monument or the tribute to explorer Dr David Livingstone. To the west, the Ross Bandstand hosts summer concerts beside the world's oldest floral clock. Grab picnic treats from local legend Victor Hugo Deli, which has been around since 1955. Where to stay Splurge on 100 Princes Street for sweeping views and bespoke tartan suites from £208. Liverpool Best picnic spot: Otterspool Promenade Liverpool's seafaring legacy runs deep, so a waterside picnic is a must. Otterspool Promenade, stretching from Garston Docks to Otterspool Park, hugs the River Mersey and boasts sweeping lawns perfect for a lazy afternoon. The Trans Pennine Trail cuts through here, so expect a steady stream of joggers and cyclists. Bring a kite for the breeze, binoculars for birdwatching – and, if you're lucky, you might even spot seals lounging on the mudflats at low tide. Where to stay Restored Victorian villa Sefton Park Hotel offers B&B doubles from £70. York Best picnic spot: Rowntree Park Stroll south along the River Ouse to reach Rowntree, a 10-hectare haven that centres around a swan- and duck-filled pond. There are squirrel-inhabited woods with a woodland story circle, a blossoming wildlife area near the orchard, and plenty of action with play parks, tennis courts (booked online), a skate park and basketball courts. Craving calm? Slip into one of the central gated gardens (like Rosemary's Sensory Garden) for a breather. Rowntree Park Reading Café serves breakfast baps and toasties, but for posher picnic nosh seek out the nearby Good Food Shop deli. Where to stay The Grade II-listed Middletons offers B&B doubles from £110. Aberdeen Best picnic spot: Hazlehead Park On Aberdeen's western edge, Hazlehead Park is a woodland wonderland with historic roots. Once part of the royal hunting forests of Stocket, it was gifted to the city by Robert the Bruce in 1319 – commemorated by stone cairns near the café and snack kiosk. Today, it's packed with family-friendly fun: from Scotland's oldest hedge maze (inspired by Hampton Court) to a tree-carved Gruffalo by artist David Roberts. There's crazy golf, a huge playground, two rose gardens and Hazlehead Pets Corner (open daily; adults £5.04, three-six-year-olds £1.56, under threes free) where you'll meet meerkats, alpacas, emus, and even Princess Leia the Burmese python. Where to stay Luxury five-star country manor Marcliffe has a spa, wine cellar, local-produce restaurant and doubles from £170. Oxford Dubbed Oxford's oldest monument, Port Meadow is a 140-hectare wild expanse bordered by the Thames and steeped in history, from Bronze Age burials to Iron Age grazing. In the 10th century, King Alfred granted it to Oxford's Freemen, whose ancient right to graze livestock still stands – hence the freely wandering ponies, cattle and wildfowl. Picnic tables and BBQ spots near Godstow Road make it ideal for a laid-back lunch. Paddle in the shallows, spot lapwings and teal, or follow the floodplain trails to The Perch or Trout Inn for riverside pints. For picnic treats, hit Barefoot Bakery in Jericho for top-tier pastries. Where to stay The Galaxie is a characterful Victorian B&B with doubles from £125. Bristol Best picnic spot: Ashton Court Estate This sprawling country estate (free entry, paid parking) is packed with wildflower meadows, wildlife-rich woods, shady ponds and ancient oaks – including the legendary, now-collapsed 700-year-old Domesday Oak. It's perfect picnic territory that we recommend for its historic deer park, where around 200 red and fallow deer roam (look, don't feed). Kids can also ride the miniature railway or swing through the treetops on Go Ape-style high ropes. Refuel at the Courtyard Café with fresh summer salads and artisan sourdough toasties. Where to stay The gorge-side Hotel du Vin Bristol Avon Gorge in Clifton village has B&B doubles from £129. Brighton Best picnic spot: Kipling Gardens Skip the Brighton bustle and seek out Kipling Gardens in Rottingdean, just west of the city centre. Often overlooked, this Victorian walled garden once wrapped around Rudyard Kipling's old home, The Elms. He rented it from 1897 to 1902 while writing some of his Just So stories. The gardens are a tapestry of rose beds, wild corners and clipped lawns – all of them calm and crowd-free. Pick up a fat slice of quiche, cake, or a still-warm sausage roll from Sea Spray Café and claim a stone table or start a spontaneous croquet match. Where to stay Brighton marina's four-star Malmaison has B&B doubles from £192. Cardiff Best picnic spot: Bute Park Right next to Cardiff Castle and threaded by the River Taff, Bute Park's 56 hectares are a surprise wildlife haven – all three UK woodpeckers (green, great spotted, and lesser spotted) call it home, and along the river, keep your eyes peeled for kingfishers, herons and several species of bat at dusk. Download the Bute Park Wildlife Explorer Trails via the Love Exploring app to find these hotspots. Kids can burn off energy on the woodland play trail or at the story stops, while grown-ups unwind in the arboretum or community orchard. Hungry? The Secret Garden Café is on-site, but for something more special, swing by Cardiff Market and find Griff's Deli ( – their deli boards and hand-crafted sandwiches are drool-worthy. Where to stay Cardiff's historic four-star, The Park Gate Hotel has B&B doubles from £164. Southampton Best picnic spot: The Common An unpolished green sprawl in the city centre with wide-open meadows for lounging, games or laidback picnics, and woodland edges for dappled shade. We recommend parking yourself by the swan-dotted Ornamental Lake for prime people-watching. There's a splash park in summer, a model railway for nostalgia hits and winding trails that feel surprisingly wild. Try corner store Maurie's ( for luxury stuffed focaccia sandwiches. Where to stay Swanky Georgian mansion-turned-boutique hotel No.4 Carlton Hotel has B&B doubles from £426. Newcastle Best picnic spot: Paddy Freeman's Park Families flock to Paddy Freeman's in the city's north for its wide manicured lawns and glassy boating lake, where the century-old Model Power Boat Club still meets. Perks include two wheelchair-accessible picnic tables and that inclusivity runs through the park – with one of the two playgrounds kitted out with accessible equipment, so kids of all ages and abilities can join in. Add in a bowling green, two tennis courts, a full-size football pitch, and picnic fuel provided by the onsite Urban Green Café, and you have the ideal alfresco hangout. Where to stay Upscale four-star Jesmond Dene House has doubles from £125. Cambridge Best picnic spot: Jesus Green Jesus Green is where Cambridge locals go when the sun's out. Lined with stately trees and edged by the River Cam, you can watch the punters glide past. You'll find free tennis courts, a playground and a skate park, but the real gem is the Victorian lido: one of the UK's longest outdoor pools and perfect for a pre-picnic dip. There are designated BBQ stones with bins nearby, and for supplies swing by 1920s bakery Fitzbillies ( – famed for its Chelsea buns – to pick up a preordered picnic. Where to stay The Varsity has a rooftop bar, spa, steakhouse and doubles from £171. Bath Best picnic spot: Bath Skyline Start with a grab-and-go feast from Chandos Deli (12 George St) – think stacked focaccia, loaded baguettes and top-tier sausage rolls – then head uphill to Bathwick Fields, a wildflower meadow with sweeping views over Unesco-listed Bath's honey-toned rooftops and spires. It's also the starting point for a six-mile circular walk through woodlands, hilltops and history. Elsewhere, kids will love the den-making zones in Rainbow Wood and the natural play area near Claverton Down. Where to stay The Bird in Bath is a vibrant 29-room art-filled boutique hotel with deluxe doubles from £279. Nottingham Best picnic spot: Green's Mill Park This compact park and playground bags a spot thanks to its restored 19th-century working mill built by the father of mathematician George Green. Free to enter (Wed–Sun 10am–4pm), it's packed with kid-friendly distractions: from hands-on science exhibits exploring light and magnetism, to watching them grind the award-winning organic flour and regular bread and biscuit-making workshops. Each July, its 'Picnic in the Park' festival brings music and games. There's no café, so pick up a preordered gourmet picnic hamper (think smoked salmon-and-mascarpone sandwiches) from Delilah Fine Foods. Where to stay The Georgian Lace Market Hotel has an on-site pub and doubles from £87.
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
Australia v British and Irish Lions live: score, commentary, updates
It's buzzy and lively around the Suncorp Stadium with 100-person queues out of the doors of the pubs on Caxton Street (Will Kelleher writes). This is the first time on this tour so far that we've had a sense of the massive away support. They've all turned up at last! It is a much younger crowd too than for the tour games. Will Skelton is outside the ground signing jerseys — what a shame he's not playing today, and nor is the powerful back-row Rob Valetini. The Lions surely will look to overpower the Wallabies now those two aren't playing. The gold certainly stands out. You can tell it's the first Lions tour in front of fans for eight years, after the rather damp squib atmosphere-wise in South Africa thanks to Covid four years ago. The streets of Brisbane are awash with red. Groups of mates, young and old, having a few beers in the sun before a great sporting occasion. Looks a pretty rubbish way to spend a Saturday night, really… A reminder of Andy Farrell's Lions 23 for the first Test… Good morning and welcome along to the Times' live coverage of the first Test between the British & Irish Lions and Australia in Brisbane. Stay right up to date with all the build-up action, analysis and updates from our team of writers at the Suncorp Stadium.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
A PR dream or disaster? Jet2's holiday advert finds new life as joke meme
You're the boss of a travel company, it's early summer and your brand is going viral. Millions of people are watching and sharing social media clips of people on holiday, the soundtrack to which is your company jingle. It sounds like a PR dream, but is it? That's the question no doubt being pondered at the headquarters of Jet2 – the budget travel firm that has found itself at the centre of a runaway TikTok meme which shows the less glamorous side of British summer holidays. The trend began as a joke: Jet2's relentlessly cheerful jingle, Jess Glynne's Hold My Hand, played over the most cheerless summer holiday footage found on social media. Plane fights, water sports accidents and drunken disasters are all soundtracked by the theme tune as the tagline 'Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday' is announced the saccharine voiceover. The line has become social media code for travel plans gone wrong, with users pairing the audio with clips of holiday mishaps, minor chaos and anything that falls short of the usual polished posts. In one TikTok video with more than 1.6m likes, a woman almost drowns in waist-high water and has to be saved by a lifeguard after coming out of a water slide in Tenerife. Another post set to the sound with 16k likes shows a man laying on a sun lounger by the pool as rain drenches him. More than 1.3m other videos have used the sound and the hashtag #nothingbeatsajet2holidays has more than 25.5k posts. Jet2 has not commented on the trend, but the company has leaned into it on social media, posting its own clip using the same audio and launching a challenge, offering a £1,000 holiday voucher as a prize. Zoë Lister, the voice actor who utters the now famous line, and singer Jess Glynne have both weighed in. Glynne posted a TikTok video miming the voiceover, and Lister has appeared on radio re-enacting the famed slogan. Campaigns like Jet2's challenge show how brands are trying to meet users where they are, but doing so means learning to speak the platform's language, said Dr Andreas Schellewald, a researcher in digital culture. 'From a brand point of view, this is still tricky terrain and more tactical rather than strategic. This definitely adds great reach for the Jet2 brand – at the same time, brand marketing is not just about awareness but also resonance and reaction, for which I assume brands usually still prefer to have more control over how they are perceived publicly', he said. The advert may have found new life as a meme, but its social media DNA was there from the start, according to Adam Gordon, a social media strategist and co-founder of the social media agency a Friendly Bunch. 'The original Jet2 TV ads were deliberately social media led – the hold my hand line was always married to an on-screen POV shot of someone holding someone's hand – a classic Instagram holiday shot – so the seeds were sown early, and deliberately. 'The irony is that the Jet2 ad was born out of the old glossy age of Instagram perfection, but this meme has dragged it into the messy imperfection of the TikTok era. A crystal clear sign of the times in the world of social media,' he added.
